Coral Relief

Their relationship blossoming on the sea bed, algae and coral have shared a symbiosis for millions of years – the coral providing protection, while the algae use photosynthesis to make and share nurturing chemicals like oxygen. Here, a modified form of 3D printing helps to ‘print’ intricate coral structures which channel patterns of light into their nooks and crannies – guiding the growth of algae. Zooming in on the lab grown coral with a scanning electron microscope, we see microalgae clumps or aggregates growing in the gaps. In the future it may be possible to design and grow huge coral/algae structures to produce chemicals on demand, as a new energy source, or perhaps as living scaffolds inside the human body, providing a boost of oxygen to healing tissues.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Daniel Wangpraseurt and colleagues
• Bioinspired Photonics Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK and Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, April 2020